I grew up afraid of guns because my mom was very anti-gun. As kids, we weren't allowed to have toy guns, use water guns (we used spray bottles which actually worked to our advantage) or even pretend our fingers were guns. My dad has owned guns since he was a kid and had them in our house while we was growing up, but they were kept in the back of the closet and we were not allowed anywhere near them. I grew up believing those guns were going to go off all by themselves even though they were unloaded. The ammunition was kept in a drawer, sometimes in a different room and I believed the ammunition was going to explode all by itself even though it was just sitting there. Any time we moved, I would get nervous seeing the guns out of their hiding spot and touching them made me dizzy from fear. I believed that the empty rifle would go off at any second and kill me and anybody else near by. My grandpa was a Colorado State Patrolman and I hated seeing him with his gun on his hip because his pistol was loaded all of the time! If an unloaded gun could hurt me just sitting there, Grandpa's loaded gun was definitely going to kill me! When I met my husband and found out he had guns and was a hunter, I knew I was going to set the same rules my mom did. If he was going to have his guns at our house, he was going to keep them unloaded at all times and in the back of the closet where I wouldn't have to see them and I could pretend they weren't in the house, just like my dad's guns. Then, he started explaining how everything in a gun works and how to handle the guns safely and then all of a sudden I was agreeing to try shooting. I discovered I was good at shooting and it was a lot of fun and now have guns of my own!

Shooting My Favorite Pistol

I love shooting my .22 rifle and my .22 pistol. I understand an unloaded gun is not going to explode and a loaded gun just sitting there all by itself untouched isn't going to go off. I feel silly now for being afraid of guns when I was younger and I want to make sure that the kids in my life don't grow up the same way. I want to make sure my nieces and nephew are educated about how guns work and how to handle them safely. I am proud to say they are all pretty good shots, too. I am a little jealous of these 3 kids, because they have several people teaching them about gun safety instead of gun fear.

Ambrosia and Jordan learning how to shoot the .22 rifle.

Cori posing with Uncle Kris' pistol and the bugs she shot.

I grew up afraid of guns and now I look forward to shooting. I have my conceal carry permit and I even sell shooting targets and attend un shows! I'm glad I let my husband explain how guns work and how to use them instead of staying afraid of them. Being afraid of guns was a lot more stressful than learning about them. I am no longer afraid of my dad's guns either and have even shot a couple of them. Learning about guns and owning my own gave me the confidence and motivation to start Girls In The Outdoors. I want to try to prevent other kids from growing up afraid of guns, but in a water fight, I still highly recommend a squirt bottle over a water pistol. Squirt bottles hold WAY more ammo and can be adjusted to make them more accurate.